


Thanks for the Memories

by Danagirl623



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Break Up, Drunkenness, F/M, Flirting, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Post-Break Up, Sharing a Bed, Trans Character, VibePatrol, Vomiting, westallen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21992233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danagirl623/pseuds/Danagirl623
Summary: Title from the FOB song.Iris and Eddie broke up. This is their attempts at moving on.Chapter 1- EddieChapter 2- Iris
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West, Cisco Ramon/Eddie Thawne, Eddie Thawne/Iris West
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

_Eddie Thawne watched as Iris West moved. She was shimmering slightly in the low light of the darkened room. His eyes tracked her as she went over to their shared dresser, and then to the ensuite bathroom. Eddie leaned back against the headboard with his eyes closed. The words of their last fight came back to him._

_“Edward!” she said, angrily._

_“Iris,” Eddie countered evenly, running his fingers through his hair. He kept his voice steady, and focused on his breathing._

_“It’s a simple question. Do you want to get married?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“To me?” she asked, eyes narrowed, clutching at the back of the chair between them._

_Everything in Eddie wanted to scream ‘NO!’, but instead he said, “Not right now.”_

_“Well, I’m ready to get married!” Iris screamed at him. Her chest heaved with emotion._

_“I’m not,” Eddie said with a loud exhale._

_“Then why are we still dating?” Iris asked, before she stepped around him to go to their shared bedroom. “I’m looking for a husband, not a man for now.”_

_Eddie took a deep breath and followed her into the bedroom. “Because I love you.”_

_Iris stared hard at him, processing furiously. “If you do love me, then you should marry me.”_

_“That’s not fair,” Eddie said, his voice betraying his anger._

_“I’m staying at Barry’s tonight. Tomorrow while you’re at the precinct, I’ll move my stuff out.”_

“I think I have enough for a few days,” Iris announced, a bit louder than necessary. She was holding a small suitcase in her hands.

“Don’t forget your toothpaste. Barry buys that funny stuff you don’t like.”

Iris smiled a sad smile, and patted the bag. “I packed up dinner too. There’s enough to get you through the next few days.”

“Thanks, Iris.” Eddie stood up, and walked over to her. “I’m really sorry.”

“Me too,” Iris said, dabbing her eyes. She shifted her suitcase to the floor, and held her arms out to him. He stepped into her arms, and held her tightly. “Thank you for being so honest with me.”

“It was really hard, and I’m so-”

“Sorry, I get it.” Iris pulled back, and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. “I wish you would have told me all of that when we first started dating.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you about my past. So I talked about being trans-man in a repressed religious community.”

“I’m upset about multiple issues here,” Iris said, softly. “The biggest issue is the fact that you’re not ready to be married to me. We’ve been together for nearly two years.”

Eddie sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” Iris said, harshly. “Please,” she added in a softer tone. “I enjoyed spending the last two years with you.”

“They are the brightest spot in my whole life.”

Iris nodded sadly, before she stepped out of his arms. “I’ll see you on Sunday for family dinner. If you want to come, that is.”

“At the West’s house?” Eddie asked, incredulously. He stepped back over to the bed, and crossed his arms.

“You’re always invited to Detective West’s house. He likes you better than he likes Barry and I. Don’t let him kid you.”

Eddie nodded his head, thinking. “May I have time? Please?” Eddie asked, uncrossing his arms and tucking his hands into his pants pockets.

“Text me when you’re ready,” Iris said before she moved close to kiss Eddie’s cheek. “Goodbye, Eddie.”

“Be safe, Ms. Iris,” Eddie said, using the name he first called her.

A soft laugh exited her mouth, as she left, “You also, Mr. Eddie.”

Eddie flopped down on the bed, and sighed loudly. More of the break up fight came back to him.

_“Why does this relationship have to be over?” Eddie’s voice was thick._

_“We don’t communicate. You talk to Cisco more than you talk to me.”_

_“That’s not true.”_

_“You two face-time every night and recap your day.”_

_“Cisco’s my best friend.”_

_“I thought I was.”_

_“No,” Eddie cut in, knowing he was right here. “Cisco is my bro, you’re my girl. There’s a huge difference.”_

_Iris stared at him, breathing heavily. “You lied to me, Eddie.” She wiped her eyes, ignoring his last comment. “Over and over again. I figured it out. I am a reporter. I know how to discover anyone’s past.” Iris took a breath, and tightened her ponytail. “You throw your past at me like it’s a knife. Like it’s going to excuse all your bad behavior.”_

_“It is part of who I am.” Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. “I am ex-Mennonite. I am a bisexual trans-man. I am a cop. I speak German better than I do English. ”_

_“Well, now I know what you’ve been keeping from me.” Iris pulled her suitcase out of the closet._

_“We both have secrets,” Eddie said, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed. “We’re grown ups. We have lives outside of each other.”_

_“Yeah, but the point of us dating was weaving two lives together.”_

A beeping noise caused Eddie to sit up. It was his phone. Fantastic! A cop emergency. Greedily, Eddie snatched his phone from the other side of the bed and looked at the screen. It was a video call from Cisco Ramon.

Eddie slid the screen open, and waved at Cisco with a forced smile. “Hey Cis,” He stated trying to keep emotion of his voice.

“Woah, buddy, why so serious?” Cisco said in his typical sunny disposition, after he spent a moment studying his friend’s face.

“Iris and I broke up,” Eddie said, glumily.

“Shit, really?”

“Yeah. There was a fight- and it was totally my fault- but it happened. It really sucks.”

“I’m on my way,” Cisco said, placing the phone down so he could pull his sneakers on.

“You don’t have to.”

“Bro code, Eddie.” Cisco picked his phone up, and tucked his hair behind his ears.

“It’s not a very nice code,” Eddie said uncomfortably.

“Say it, Horse and Buggy Man,” Cisco said, forcefully.

“Bros before hoes,” Eddie said trying not to smile. “You can’t call me that. I’m not a meta.”

“See you in ten,” Cisco said, disconnecting the call.

Eddie sighed, and went to the bathroom, feeling more than a bit lost. “Mom always said when you feel lost, pray and clean,” he said out loud, reminding himself.

A second later he decided he would follow half of his mother’s advice. He changed out of his nice jeans and dress shirt. He pulled on a ratty t-shirt and even rattier sweatpants from the police academy. He made his way out to the kitchen, and put on his favorite classical playlist. He reached under the sink to pull out his soap and bucket.

“First the oven, then the table, then the counters. I’ll run the vacuum tonight too.”

It took Cisco closer to an hour to get to Eddie’s apartment. He laughed as he let himself in with the door code.

“Yo, Ed, no one rages to Bach!” Cisco shut the door behind himself, and kicked his shoes off.

Eddie came over, and took the bags from his best friend. Together they walked into the kitchen, and placed them down. Eddie went back to scrubbing the countertop while Cisco started putting the food away.

“I think I bought everything in the store twice.”

“Mmm,” Eddie said, noncommittally.

“So, you need to stop what you’re doing, and let me take care of you.”

“I’m lost.”

“Without Iris?” Cisco asked, before he tucked his hair behind his ears again. “Of course you are. Two years is a long time.”

“She said that too,” Eddie said, as he glanced over his shoulder to talk to Cisco. “But you and I only know each other nine months and we’re close. It took me one GSA meeting to realize that I’m a man. Two years with Iris was nice, but it wasn’t forever.”

“Ok, dude.” Cisco said, holding his hands up. “I’m on your side.”

“So, right now, I’m lost. When you get lost my mother used to tell me to pray and clean,” Eddie pointed to the bucket, and held up a bleach covered rag. “So I’m following her advice.”

“Well, my mom used to say-” Cisco started then cut himself off. “Actually, she just shouted a lot, but my abuela, she would cook. Sad? Cook. Angry? Cook. Happy? Cook. So I’m going to do what my Abuela said. I’m going to cook. Put that stuff away. Go take a bath.”

“A bath?” Eddie laughed. “I haven’t taken a bath in years.”

“Ok, so now’s the perfect time to.”

Eddie shook his head. “I’ll shower, I think.”

“Great,” Cisco smiled, tucking his hair behind his ears. “I’ll make something to eat.”

Eddie stared at Cisco for a moment, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. “It’s-”

“Hey, you’re fine, buddy. I was just sitting at home waiting for you to get online. Did you eat dinner?”

Eddie shook his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. “Iris made a late lunch, but neither of us ate. She packed it away.”

“Oh,” Cisco smiled widely, and touched his friend’s arm. “Go shower. Do you have beer?”

“Yes,” Eddie said. “Iris used to drink it. I hated it.”

Cisco pursed his lips. “I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only man who hates beer. So, why don’t you go shower, and I’ll change into my spare clothing here. When you’re done showering, come join me on the couch.”

Eddie looked confused for a second, before he pulled Cisco into his arms. He hugged him tightly, and Cisco gave his back a gentle pat. “Shower, comfies, and couch,” Eddie said, as if he was reminding himself.

“Shower, comfies, couch!” Cisco confirmed, before he nudged his friend towards the bathroom.

Eddie came out of the steam filled bathroom and hung his towel up on the back of the kitchen chair. He rubbed his stomach under his tank top as he walked into his living room.

“Surprise!” Cisco said, with a smile. “I figured a blanket fort, video games, and junk food would be in order.”

“Brilliant plan, my man,” Eddie pulled his tank top down, and sat on the couch beside Cisco.

“I brought Mario Kart. I thought that you’d love to throw some-”

Eddie picked up his controller, and asked, “Did you take your binder off?”

“You know I didn’t,” Cisco said, as he started up the video game.

Eddie reached over and took the controller from Cisco. “Go do it.”

Cisco gave Eddie a look, as he stood up muttering, “Yes, Dad. I’ll go do it right away.”

Eddie playfully slapped Cisco’s butt, and caught himself grinning for the smallest second. “Get it done, boy.”

Cisco stopped walking, and grinned at his friend. “Yes’sir!” He pulled his shirt up over his head and dropped it on the floor.

Eddie laughed out loud, and shook his head. “Young man, am I going to have to take you over my knee to teach you some respect?”

Cisco bent over to pick up his shirt, and smiled widely, “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

Eddie’s eyes trailed down Cisco’s back as he exited the room. _Not the time or the place. Tonight’s about leaving my relationship with Iris behind, not getting into a new one._

Eddie shook his head, as Cisco came out in a baggy sweatshirt and a pair of baggy pj pants. Cisco rolled his eyes as he re-joined his friend on the couch. “There you go, Dad.”

“Oh, don’t you feel so comfy now,” Eddie said, teasingly as Cisco started the video game.

“Do you have any vacation time left at work?”

“A bit,” Eddie admitted knowing that he had his full vacation left.

“Where are you going to live? Here?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Eddie admitted, as they played the game.

“I’m asking because Caitlin and Ronnie are sick of me. I can’t afford a place by myself, so maybe we could be roommates.” Cisco rapidly pressed a few buttons on his controller, before he added, “Unless you don’t think you can handle living with my sexy ass all the time.”

Eddie scoffed, and jabbed buttons aggressively. “You have an overinflated sense of your attractiveness.”

“You are a bad shit-talker.”

Eddie laughed, and elbowed Cisco. “Cows don’t like to be shit-talked. They prefer when you call them pretty before milking them.”

“Typical,” Cisco said.

“What do you know about milking cows, pretty boy?”

“Oh, you dumbass driver. Why did you do that?” Cisco shook his head, then pressed the ‘restart’ button. “I know that modern dairy practices are appalling and hurt cows.”

“Next time we’re on a dairy farm, I’ll let you pull up a stool and show me how it’s done.”

“Yeah, right,” Cisco said, dismissively. “I dare you, blondie.”

“At least I don’t look like a fairy tale princess. You gon- Damn! Don’t fall you stupid guy! - gonna let your hair down, Rapunzel so I can climb up it?”

“My locks are strong enough for you to climb, but there’s no way I’d let you climb my hair.”

“Ok, enough dumbness. Where’s the food?”

With a laugh, Cisco threw his controller down, and pulled the table closer to where they sat.

On the table there was a spread of junk food. There was a plate of sandwiches and Cisco handed one to Eddie. Eddie took it, and smelled it suspiciously. “Did you really state you’d cook for me, then actually just made peanut butter and jam sandwiches?”

Cisco covered his mouth as he chewed before he answered. “Yes.”

“You giant dumbass,” Eddie said, as he took a bite. “All this ‘I’m going to cook for you!’ nonsense.”

Cisco swallowed his bite of sandwich, and removed his hand from his mouth. “I tried to think about comfort food. The only kind I could come up with was la sopa, and that’s my family comfort food. So I thought what is comfort food for an Ex-Mennonite?”

“I don’t have comfort food.”

“Once, at GSA you told all of us that when you were nine or ten, your Dad-”

“Dat.”

“Dat took you and your sisters on a picnic while your Ma delivered another baby. You were so proud of him because he made peanut butter and jam sandwiches. So I thought that maybe you’d enjoy some of those.”

Eddie’s throat went dry as tears pricked at his eyes. “I used to make peanut butter and jam sandwiches for my sisters growing up. When Anna,” Eddie paused in what he was saying, and swallowed hard. “Anna used to lick her bread clean then tell me her sandwich was broken.” Eddie started laughing which prompted him to cry harder. “She’s married now.”

Cisco placed his sandwich down, and gently touched Eddie’s arm. “She was your favorite.”

“I really could use a hug, if you don’t mind.”

Cisco launched himself into Eddie’s arms, and held him tightly. Eddie fell back against the couch, holding Cisco close to him. Eddie let go of Cisco’s body, and Cisco leaned back into his seat. “I’m here for you,” Cisco said, softly, then smiled widely. Eddie nodded, and wiped his eyes.

“Don’t do it,” Eddie said, picking his sandwich back up.

“Bro!” Cisco said, before he took a bite.

“Please,” Eddie said in a gentle tone with a teary smile. “Stop calling me ‘bro.’”

“I’m sorry, Eddie. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Around a mouthful of sandwich, he said, “I’m not upset with you. I’m requesting that you don’t ‘bro’ me anymore.”

“Why not?” Cisco asked, stuffing a handful of Doritios into his mouth.

“Because I’m in love with you, you moron.” Cisco choked on the chips, and stared at Eddie with wide eyes. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but you keep ‘broing’ me.”

Cisco swallowed his chips hard. “I didn’t know we were allowed to talk about it.”

Eddie exhaled loudly. “It’s your fault that I like you. You’re cute and charming.”

Cisco smiled widely. “Please tell me more about how wonderful I am.”

Eddie laughed, for the first time all night. Cisco smiled widely. “Thank you.” Cisco nodded. “I really do want to pursue a relationship with you, but I have to heal from that. I don’t want you to be viewed as a rebound or a fling.”

Cisco laughed. “No one ever says that about me.”

“I am saying it, and I mean it.”

Cisco nodded his head, then broke out into a grin. “Is this where I pledge on everything I love that I’ll never stop waiting for you?”

Eddie smiled widely. “Don’t waste your breath. You’ll get bored of waiting and pounce me in a dark alley.” Eddie glanced at Cisco’s face with a smirk. “Or does Lisa only do that to you?”

Cisco laughed wildly. “Lisa was fun until she found out that I was dating Kendra.”

“Aw, man, that sucks.”

Cisco smiled at Eddie, “I think it’s going to be ok. I have this new thing brewing for the last year.”

“Is this where you tell me that you’re in love with The Flash?”

Cisco laughed, and gently touched Eddie’s hand. Eddie glanced down, and laced his fingers through Cisco’s hand. “The Flash moves too fast for me. I prefer to go slowly.”

Eddie laughed, beaming widely. “I learned how to drive with a horse and buggy.”

“That sounds really slow.”

“It was, but it taught me patience,” Eddie said softly. “It’s just one of those things. Driving was a fast activity compared to plowing a field.”

Cisco snickered, “I got a field you can plow.”

“Not tonight, you dork,” Eddie smiled giving Cisco’s hand a squeeze.

“So, you are a top?” Cisco’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “I had my suspicions.”

Eddie shook his head, and gave Cisco’s hand another squeeze. “Thank you for coming over.”

Cisco smiled at Eddie, and held his eyes for just a moment too long. “It was my pleasure.”


	2. Chapter 2

Iris West danced her way through the crowd to the bathroom. She stood in line, and slammed her drink down. She placed it on the nearest table, and glanced around the line to count her place in line. With a groan, she realized she was the seventh woman in line. 

In a moment, there was a burst of lightning, a rush of wind, and the world came back into focus. Iris was put down on her feet in the hall outside of her childhood bedroom. She tossed the Flash a dirty look before she disappeared into the bathroom. 

After a few minutes, she came out prepared for bed. “Hey, Barry. Thanks for the lift.”

“Very funny, Iris.” 

“Well, I was waiting to pee, then I was in Flash time, and now I’m home. Unless we’ve woken up on some strange planet where I’m the Flash, I was with the Flash.”

Barry laughed, and ran his fingers through his hair. “You hate peeing in public toilets.”

Iris gave him a sad smile and nodded her head. “Yeah, but I’m working on getting into a better mood.”

“Well, being hungover is a great way to be in a better mood.”

“It is, what do you know?”

“I’ve got a Flash scoop for you,” Barry stated, slipping by her to brush his teeth. 

“Can you slow down for me? As we both know, I’m a bit drunk.” 

Barry laughed and sauntered out of the bathroom. He had his toothbrush in his mouth between his upper and lower jaw. “Tonight, Snart-”

Iris mimed writing in a notebook while narrating her words. “Breaking news! The Flash agrees with four out of five dentists that Crest toothpaste is the best!”

Barry laughed, and pulled the tooth brush out of his mouth. “Arm and Hammer.” 

“Do you use whitening?” Iris asked, pretending to lean into him for an answer. Barry leaned forward to answer, and for just a moment, there was a crackle of…. something in the air. Iris forced herself to move away at the same time that Barry did the same. The best friends stared at each other, while they furiously processed their own thoughts. 

“Anyways, I’m going to go to bed.” Iris tried to smile at Barry, but the smile fell short. 

“Wanna watch a movie?” Barry asked, brightly. “I have that new Pirates movie.” Iris smiled sadly at her best friend, and shook her head no. 

“Thank you for the offer.”

“Are you ok?” Barry asked, noticing that her entire mood seemed to have shifted suddenly. 

“Uh,” Iris started, before she took a deep steadying breathe. “Just that Eddie and I were supposed to go see it.”

“Oh, so you didn’t get to?”

Iris’ eyes crinkled together, tears welling up in her eyes. “We broke up.” She exhaled softly, forcing herself to stop crying. 

“Oh, Iris,” Barry said, his toothbrush falling from his mouth. Iris half laughed, half sobbed while Barry fumbled to catch his toothbrush. 

“I mean, I left him. I walked away. I had to. I’m ready, and he just isn’t-” Iris shrugged, as tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m going to throw up.” Iris pushed Barry out of the way, and she flung herself onto the toilet. 

In a minute, Iris felt gentle rubbing on her back, and her hair go into a ponytail. “Go away. You don’t need to be here.” She gripped the toilet with both her hands. 

Barry laughed, and continued to rub her back. “I’m right where I need to be.”

“I don’t want you here. There are some things a woman should handle on her own.”

“This is not one of those things,” Barry countered, as he reached over to get her a towel. He placed it in her hand, and she used it to wipe her mouth. She leaned back away from the toliet. Barry flushed it, and didn’t stop rubbing her back. 

“I know you don’t _want_ me here, but I’m here.”

“I hate you sometimes, Barry Allen.”

“I love you too, Iris West.”

Whatever Iris said was cut off as a fresh wave of vomit made its way up her throat. She threw herself on top of the toliet again, and panted through the vomitting. She used the towel to wipe her mouth. Once she could speak, she did. “Can you please get me new pjs? I need to shower again.”

“Anything you need, Iris. I’m here.” 

Iris didn’t respond, but stayed bent over the toilet. She waited until she heard Barry come back in with pj’s before she stood up. 

Barry turned his back as she undressed. Barry busied himself with cleaning the mess in the bathroom. 

Quickly, Iris stripped down and got into the shower. She turned the water on as hot as possible, and pulled the shower door shut. She put her face until the hot stream, and felt the heartache well up inside of her. 

A loud cry escaped her mouth, as she turned away from the water. She rubbed her face trying to get herself under control, but she couldn’t. 

“This is bullshit. I walked away. I said it’s over-”

“Then why are you hurting so much?” Barry’s gentle voice came through the curtain. 

Iris made a noise that was half laugh, half sob. “Can’t I even shower without you?”

“Being around you is normal.” 

“Barr, we’re not kids anymore.” 

“My best friend is having a bad day. I’m exactly where I should be.”

“What if I want privacy?” She fired off, before she ducked her face back under the stream. 

“Tell me you want privacy, and I’m gone.” 

“You can’t always save me, Barry Allen.” 

“That’s true, sometimes you save yourself, but I have to tell you this is something I can help you with.”

“Barry Allen!” Iris started to say, but was overwhelmed by emotion.

“Admit it, Iris. I’m always here to pick you up.” 

“Yeah,” Iris said, trying to steady her emotions. “I’m really glad you’re here.” 

“Do you want brownies?” Barry asked suddenly. “Remember that place in Starling with the lesbians?” 

“Oh, the caramel blondies!” Iris said, rubbing her face again. “Are you going to get Thai from the same corner?”

“I could get Thai. Are you going to be awake?” 

“I am two months older than you. Is an age joke appropriate?” 

“Ha, ha,” Barry said drily. “It’s not, but since you bring it up… I’ll just say, “I can’t believe you’re dating a younger man.” Um,” Barry took a deep breathe, and looked at her questioningly. “So, are we dating?” 

“I’m hungry…” Iris said, with a bit of a pout. “If we aren’t dating, we’ll get there.” 

Barry’s eyes met Iris’ and they seemed to communicate silently. To break the tense moment, Barry asked, “Am I going too fast for you?” 

Iris smiled a real smile for the first time all evening. “Yeah, you better slow down there, Flash.”

Barry laughed, and placed his hands on his hip. “I’ll try to.” 

“Food?”

“I’ll be back.” 

A whoosh of lightning and a blast of air signaled Barry’s departure. Iris turned the water temperature up, and forced herself to stop crying for just a moment. _First, I’ll bathe then I’ll go lay in bed to wait for Barry._

  
  


About one hour later, Iris left the bathroom, and padded quietly into her childhood bedroom. She hung her robe up and pulled a shirt on. She opened her underwear drawer, and her eyes fell on Eddie’s spare cotton boxers. She picked them up and quickly pulled them on. 

Iris glanced down at them, and wiped her eyes again. She sat down in her bed. She looked on her bedside stand where someone- _Barry_ \- had left a bottle of water and her cell phone. 

Iris grabbed her cell phone, and texted her boss that she was going to take a few days off. There was no response to that. Then she messaged her dad.

_I’m going to be home for a while, Dad. Until I find a new place._

_That’s ok, baby. Stay as long as you need too._

Iris scrolled mindlessly through her phone until she found a playlist Barry had sent her months ago. She pressed play, and put her phone down on the bed. She grabbed her stuffed Flash bear and curled up around it. 

It may have been minutes or it could have been hours later, she felt the bed shift beside her as someone frigid joined her.

“Barr,” she managed to say, happily. 

“Scoot over, you’re a bed hog.” 

Iris tried to answer, but she was pulled into the calming effects of sleep. 

  
  
  


The next morning, Iris awoke tangled in someone else’s limbs, and for just a moment believed that she was still in bed with Eddie. 

The body tangled with hers rolled away and she realized it couldn’t be Eddie. He always slept firmly on his side of their bed. Iris sighed loudly. 

“Barry Allen, are you in bed with me?” 

“Of course I am, Iris West.”

“Figures.”

“Should I go?”

Iris exhaled loudly. “Why are you asking?”

“You know why I ask.” 

“Because we’re in love with each other and you never made a move until Eddie came around?”

“You didn’t make a move either.” Iris gasped, and tried to swat Barry with her eyes closed. Barry laughed, but let her tap him. “Oh, come on, Iris West. Everyone knows if we ever get together, it’s going to be because of you.” Iris sat up and rubbed her eyes to stare at Barry. Barry sat up and met her eyes. “You’re so gorgeous Iris.”

Iris wrinkled her eyebrows together, and waved his comment away. “I have bed head and puke breathe.” 

“You’re always the prettiest girl wherever you happen to be.” 

“Why would everyone think that I’m the boss?” Iris asked with a yawn. 

“Because you wear the pants!” 

“So do you! You wear pants every day.”

“I meant, you were the dominant one.” 

Iris groaned loudly before she started off. “Did you just- Barry! You’re a feminist. You can’t just say things like ‘you wear the pants!’ and think I’m going to be ok with it. You’re not some male chauvinist pig! You’re Barry.”

“It’s just an expression…” Barry paused and smiled. “Boss!”

“I am the boss.”

Barry leaned in, and before Iris knew what was happening, they were kissing. The kind of kissing that happens when two individuals stop denying how much they yearn for the other. Iris buried her hand in Barry’s hair, and moved closer to him.  
  


“You don’t have puke breath!” Barry stated when they broke the kiss. 

Barry snaked his hands around her waist to pull her closer. Iris’ entire body froze. “Barr-” She started to say, and then shook her head. “You’re not a rebound. You’re so much more than that!” Barry studied Iris’ super serious face. “I mean it, Barr.” 

“Why did you just say that? This doesn’t feel re-boundy. This feels like it’s.”

“Right? Perfect? Where we should have been seven years ago?” 

Barry laughed, “I am usually the late one, not you.”

Iris laughed too. “I guess I’m hanging out with you too much.”

Iris’ phone rang loudly, and the two adults jumped. Iris picked up the phone, and showed Barry that it was her father. Barry pressed the answer button. Iris gave him a “what are you doing?” look. “Hey, Dad!”

“Hey, kid. Is Barry cooking breakfast?”

Iris made big eyes at Barry who cleared his throat and said, “No, I’m not.”

“Great, I was going to bring some bagels from Jitters. Do you guys want coffee too?”

“Absolutely, Dad.” 

“Barr?”

“Garlic bagel with cream cheese and a ‘Vibe’ cocca.”

“Got it,” Joe said, and then he took a deep breath. “Listen, it’s about time you two got together.” A groan of “Dad!” and “Joe!” came from the kids. “That’s all I have to say about it.”

“Thanks, Joe,” Barry said, awkwardly. 

“Anyway, I’ll be home with carbs and caffeine. We can pretend like this never happened, okay?” 

“Dad, don’t tell Wally.”

“Oh, I sent him a photo already.”

“DAD!” Iris groaned loudly.

“Shut your door if you don’t want your old man to take cute photos of you sleeping.”

“Gross, Dad.” 

“See you kids soon.”

Barry groaned as the call was disconnected. “I shouldn’t have slept in the bed with you.”

“Did you actually sleep?” 

Barry shrugged his shoulders, and ruffled his own hair. “I dozed.”

“You got a solid five minute.”

Barry laughed loudly. “More like a solid seven.”

Iris looked at him, and decided to laugh about it. “Did you bring the brownies?”

“Oh, no. I totally forgot them.” 

“You better be joking.”

“I am absolutely not joking.” 

“I’m going to murder you, Barry Allen and that is not a joke.”

“Why would you murder me? You asked me for something, and I brought it.”

“Cisco reminded you,” Iris laughed, rolling her eyes. 

“Laurel,” Barry admitted with a laugh.

“So you had time to help the Black Canary and The Arrow and bring me food?”

“I was back by midnight.” 

“Was it midnight Central time or midnight Starling time?” 

“Starling time,” Barry admitted, with an embarrassed smile. 

“I know you-”

“Is this serious?Are you really going to date me?” Barry asked, running his fingers through his hair. “Are we going to try to have a relationship together?”

“I want to pursue it, but I don’t want to flaunt it in front of Eddie,” Iris said carefully. “I invited him to the family dinners. I love Eddie. He’s an amazing man.”

“I agree, but I don’t want to date him.”

Iris laughed, and leaned her head on Barry’s shoulder. “Can we take it slow?”

“I’m in for the long haul.”

“Oh, you know I am!”

“Now, I just have to protect the timeline.”

Iris laughed, and pulled Barry into a sweet kiss. “Please do that.”

“There was one where Eddie died-”

“Oh god, that’s horrible. Were he and I together?” Barry nodded his head. “Damn it.” 

Barry licked his lips and ran his fingers through his hair. “Cisco’s been in love with Eddie for months in this timeline. That’s something new, and I know I shouldn’t talk about other timelines because it makes-“ Barry cut himself off to gather his thoughts, “it does something to the current one.”

“Pardon? Cisco likes Eddie?” 

“Cisco never told me that. He didn’t have to tell me.” Barry shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve seen him look at Eddie. He looks at Eddie like I look at you.”

Iris nodded her head, and thought about the last few weeks. “I hope they find a way together. I think Cisco would be a great partner for Eddie.”

“I thought you were ready to marry Eddie.”

Iris shook her head, and shrugged for a moment. “I am ready to get married. I am ready to be a wife, but obviously it wasn’t right with him.” 

“Hello?” a loud shout came from the living room.

“Wally,” Barry said, jumping out of Iris’ bed. Iris fell into Barry’s pillow. She tucked it under her chin and yawned. 

“So, go talk to him. I’m staying in bed.”

“You can’t. Your Dad is bringing carbs.”

“If I stay in bed, I don’t have to hear about us.” 

“Iris?” Wally called, climbing up the stairs two at a time. 

“Bedroom!” Barry called, sitting on the floor by Iris’ bed. “Hey, Wal!” Barry greeted his friend as he plopped down on the bed. 

“Oh, my, god! Were you two having sex? I didn’t see a sock outside your door!” 

Iris pulled her feet out from under Wally’s butt and kicked at him. “I just broke up with Eddie. Have some compassion.”

“Like you did when Jessie and I broke up?” Wally asked, with a laugh. “Because you were so nice about that.” 

“I remember being very quiet about it,” Barry said with a laugh.

Wally nodded his head, and glanced at his sister. “If you hurt my friend Barry I will murder you.”

“Really murder?” 

Wally shrugged. “Or cut your hair while you sleep. I haven’t decided.” 

“Wow, you’re a real gangster, Wally,” Iris said dryly. 

“Does this mean you two will be making out around the house?”

Barry scoffed loudly. “I mean, maybe.”

“Gross,” Wally laughed, and flopped back on Iris’ legs. “So does Dad know?”

Iris exhaled loudly with a gasp. “He told us he told you.”

“I haven’t talked to Dad since early yesterday.” 

Iris glanced at Barry and rolled her eyes. “You’re a jerk, Wally West.” 

Barry laughed, and smiled at the siblings. “Maybe he likes seeing his sister smile.” 

Iris sighed loudly, and rolled her eyes, but also reached over to take Barry’s hand. “I love my boys.” 

“We love you, too, Iris.”


End file.
